Texas Court Refuses to Dismiss Plaintiffs' Claims for Lack of Standing

HOUSTON - A state court judge has refused to dismiss claims by several silica plaintiffs after defendants argued that they lacked standing under Texas law to even bring a lawsuit for their injuries. Davila, et al. v. American Optical Corp., et al., No. 2006-06348 (Texas Dist. Ct., Harris Cty.).

Harris County District Court Judge Joseph "Tad" Halbach on April 26 denied a defense plea to the jurisdiction that, if granted, would have erased the claims of about a dozen plaintiffs who defendants said have never been diagnosed with a silica-related illness.

Defendants argued in February that the court lacked jurisdiction …